Divergence and Curl of COVID19 Spreading in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan

This paper explores the COVID19 transmission pattern and circulation dynamics in the Euclidean space at the lower peninsula of Michigan by using the divergence and curl concept in vector field. The COVID19 transmission volume flux can be calculated for each county by using vector divergence. The results shows Wayne county had the highest divergence (162660), the Kent county had the second highest divergence (152540), and the Saginaw county had the third highest divergence (103240), the divergence is positive which means the COVID19 virus was transmitted from these counties to other places. The results also shows Monroe county had the lowest divergence (-187843), the Allegan county had the second lowest number in divergence (-90824), the divergence is negative which means the COVID19 virus was transmitted from other places to these counties. The circulation of the virus is also calculated by using vector curl. The positive curl means that the virus has circulated in a counter-clockwise direction, and the negative curl means the virus has circulated in a clockwise direction. The divergence is an operator of the COVID19 transmission vector field, which produces a scalar field giving the quantity of the transmission vector field’s source at each location. The COVID19 spreading volume density of the outward flux of transmission field is represented by divergence around a given location. The curl is an operator of the COVID19 transmission field, which describes the circulation of a transmission vector field. The curl at a location in COVID19 transmission field is represented by a vector whose length and direction denote the magnitude and axis of the maximum circulation. The curl of a transmission field is formally defined as the circulation density at each location of COVID19 transmission field.

Anagrus avalae Soyka, 1956, a new synonym of A. bakkendorfi Soyka, 1946 (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae)

Soyka (1946) described the European fairyfly species Anagrus bakkendorfi Soyka (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) from a single female collected on the same day, 7.x.1931, together with several non-type specimens incorrectly labeled as paratypes (Chiappini & Triapitsyn 1999), on a window at its type locality, the former St. Ignatius Jesuit College in Valkenburg, Limburg, the Netherlands. Soyka (1956) did not mention type specimens of any of his species of Anagrus Haliday. He described Anagrus avalae Soyka (Soyka 1956) based apparently on a specimen collected on Mt. Avala, Belgrade, Serbia, former Yugoslavia, along with several other nominal species (some also from Valkenburg) that were later synonymized with A. avalae and A. bakkendorfi by Chiappini (1989) and Chiappini & Triapitsyn (1999). The only, minor, morphological difference between the two nominal species is the length of the ovipositor in females relative to the length of the protibia, being at least 2.6× in A. bakkendorfi and at most 2.3× in A. avalae (Triapitsyn 2015). Specimens identifiable as both species were captured by the second author in 2000 by a Malaise trap in Iratibizkar, Irati Forest (Selva de Irati), Navarra, Spain. Chiappini & Triapitsyn (1999) discussed both nominal species but despite recognizing their apparent conspecificity, no formal synonymy was proposed. Triapitsyn & Berezovskiy (2004) and Triapitsyn (2015) also did not propose synonymy because at that time genetic evidence for conspecificity was lacking. However, Triapitsyn et al. (2019) obtained DNA and sequenced selected mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal gene regions (COI and ITS2) from a specimen unambiguously identified by the first author as A. avalae that was collected in Sevenoaks, Kent County, England, United Kingdom. Because of this we decided to collect fresh specimens identifiable as A. bakkendorfi for molecular analysis and genetic comparison with those identifiable as A. avalae. Based on the previous record (Triapitsyn 2015), several females of A. bakkendorfi were successfully captured by the second author on 4.ix.2020 in Irati Forest, preserved in ethanol, and shipped to the first and third authors for morphological and molecular identification, respectively.

Surveillance for Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) and Rickettsia parkeri (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) in the State of Delaware, and Their Public Health Implications

Amblyomma maculatum Koch is the primary vector of Rickettsia parkeri, the etiologic agent of tidewater spotted fever, and can also carry and transmit a variety of other pathogens. This tick historically has been a costly nuisance to livestock owners in the southeastern United States. Over the past 6 yr, A. maculatum has been collected in numbers sufficient to demonstrate their establishment in Kent County, Delaware, and the presence of R. parkeri has been documented. Our goals were to determine the geographic distribution of A. maculatum and R. parkeri in Delaware, and to equate this to relative risk to the public of encountering R. parkeri-infected ticks. We surveyed for ticks in four locations throughout the state from May to August 2019, and found established A. maculatum populations in all three counties. Laboratory analysis of collected specimens by quantitative polymerase chain reaction detected R. parkeri in A. maculatum populations across the state. These results indicate that A. maculatum could present a health risk to inhabitants of the state, and they also historically have posed a risk to the livestock industry, making them an important consideration in the development and implementation of continued tick surveillance efforts and future policies regarding tick management.

Dare to care

Paper is divided into two parts. The first contains two philosophical discussions about comprehension of courage and the second focuses on the findings in an empirical study with care home managers about the virtue of courage. First discussion revolves around the question whether the virtue of courage is expressed a) only in life–threatening situations or is it a virtue trained and exemplified in b) everyday life settings, while the second emphasises the difference between i) courage of efficiency as a skill and ii) courage of excellence as a virtue. Arguments here support a vision of courage as the virtue of excellence expressed in everyday life settings. The second part of the paper highlights a new perspective of courage with regards to the notion of care towards the aim of the courageous endeavour. The ‘courage of care’ supports the idea that the courage practised as the virtue of excellence aims to develop the moral character of the actor fundamentally outside of the life–threatening situation. Care for the self, other people, animals and intangible moral principles inspire us to do brave deeds. Thus, by accepting Alasdair MacIntyre’s statements that a) in the times of the peace managers represent moral idols and b) idea that the notion of courage should be closely related to the practice of care and compassion, the research continued with the interviews with the care home managers in Kent county in England. Conversations with care home managers released further insights into how care and compassion influence the understanding of the virtue of courage.

Big Data and Innovation in the Delivery of Public Services

This chapter aims to discuss the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)—especially of the so-called Big Data—in the innovation of public service delivery. After reviewing the relevant literature on innovation and innovation diffusion in the public sector and the rise of Big Data, the chapter presents a narrative of the case of the adoption and implementation of predictive policing in Kent County Police, UK, as an instance of (early) application of Big Data in public sector organizations. On the whole, the analysis of the case suggests that past conditions and adoption strategies play an important role in the introduction and acceptance of innovative work practices that exploit the potential of contemporary ICTs.